New Google Photos version 1.19

New Google Photos version 1.19 brings few design tweaks to the Android app. Google Photos now has search bar which replaced the floating action button.

New search bar suggests various terms to look up. At the very left of the bar is a button to access the hamburger menu and at the right is an overflow button. The overflow menu now houses shortcuts to create an album, animation, collage, etc. and the option to switch between the comfortable, month, and year view.

Tapping the new search bar immediately brings up the keyboard, but also lists shortcuts to photos of people, types of media, and recent locations. The full list of items located in the Albums tab as a carousel.

New search bar is cleaner and offers more direct access to shortcuts. Google Photos is often one of the first apps to adopt Google’s latest design. The move to a search bar in Photos and Play Music possibly signals emphasizes Google’s core competency of search.